City of Music

Whether it’s smooth jazz in a cosy wine bar, local rockers in a lively pub or a big name gracing the City Hall stage, you’ll easily find great live music any night of the week in Sheffield city centre. Sheffield has long been associated with electronic music, since the likes of The Human League found international fame for their synthpop singles and hairdos in the 1980s. Today, the city has a rich reputation for varied musical exports – from Britpoppers Pulp, with their hip-twirling frontman Jarvis Cocker, to dance poppers Moloko; quiffed crooner Richard Hawley to the arena-filling Arctic Monkeys and bleep techno pioneers Forgemasters. Eager music fans, gig-goers and nightclubbers can expect a phased return to live music and club nights from June 2021. Keep your eyes on the venues’ calendars as they start to get their groove back.

Plot 22 is many things to many people. A venue for underground gigs and club nights. A studio space. A place for vulnerable adults and young people to join in creative projects. After a year and a half of renovations, the pandemic scuppered Plot 22’s reopening plans in March 2020. By the end of the year, the Music Venue Trust identified it as one of the country’s grassroots venues most at risk of permanent closure. The community clubbed together, though, and raised funds to help it through the crisis. Founder Mike talks about what makes Plot 22 vital to the city’s creative underground culture.

Tell us a little about Plot 22’s home.

Plot 22 is in the old Castle Market area. Our unit has seen life as a cafe, betting shop and salon. For the past four years we’ve made use of it as a multi-purpose creative space. Castlegate is an interesting area to be part of, with its important heritage as a working class market and the Castle, and with other music spaces including Bal Fashions and Delicious Clam. I think this part of town will come into its own in the next couple of years.

Plot 22 is more than a music venue, it also houses social enterprise Rite Trax. What are the aims of Rite Trax?

RiteTrax exists to provide a platform for underground creative culture in Sheffield, usually by hosting events and live streams. We support aspiring and established artists as well as vulnerable adults and young people through targeted intervention programmes. Plot 22 is part of this platform, providing studio, event and workshop space. We aim to increase engagement in the creative arts and generate opportunities in the industry.

How did you stay connected to the underground music scene and Rite Trax community during lockdown?

Throughout the first lockdown we supported our artists by ensuring the studios stayed open and lending out equipment. Having experience of live streams, we made the transition to online performances fairly quickly with our inhouse video producers Blueshift Studios. We started a regular broadcast and ran an online version of our annual community festival, RiteTrax on the Digital Bole Hills. We also continued to support people through drug and alcohol services with a National Lottery-funded Covid-19 response project.

At the start of 2021 you ran a successful Crowdfunder as part of the Music Venue Trust’s Save Our Venues campaign. What does this support mean to you?

It’s been a lifeline. MVT did a great job at getting the word out there and we’re really grateful to have essentially been saved by the support generated. With everything else that’s been going on, it’s humbling to see people get behind grassroots ventures like ours.

20–22 Exchange Street, S2 5TS /plot22sheffield

Plot 22

– Mike Thompson

Music in the Round

Music in the Round

Music in the Round is here to make classical music accessible to all. It hosts top-notch chamber music concerts in the intimate Crucible Studio, often featuring MITR’s resident group Ensemble 360, and puts on an international classical festival. First-timers and those under 35 can get £5 tickets, while some events are even ticketed on a “pay-what-you-want” basis. There are plenty of workshops and concerts to keep children and families entertained too. musicintheround.co.uk

The Leadmill

The Leadmill is an icon of independent music in Sheffield, celebrating its 40th birthday in 2020. The 80s brought everything from post punk to the Culture Club to the venue. In the 90s it was Britpoppers Oasis, The Verve, Elastica and Suede, and the grungier likes of Babes in Toyland and Mudhoney. Then in the 00s, it was time for The Strokes, The White Stripes, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and – of course – Arctic Monkeys to take to the Leadmill stage. It still hosts a gig, live comedy or club event most nights of the week. 6 Leadmill Road, S1 4SE leadmill.co.uk

Image courtesy of The Leadmill

Image courtesy of Tramlines Tramlines

Tramlines

Tramlines is the liveliest weekend of the year in Sheffield. The three-day summer music festival takes place in Hillsborough Park with world-class music and comedy acts. And the fun doesn’t end there, with official after-parties keeping people dancing into the early hours at nightclub venues. The Fringe at Tramlines also sees bars and pubs in the city centre put on their own line-ups of local acts, together creating a diverse celebration of music. tramlines.org.uk

Sensoria

Each autumn, Sensoria takes over some of the city’s more unique and atmospheric venues for a festival of film, music and digital. Since 2018, the Sensoria programme has included live soundtracks, drive-in cinemas and outdoors screenings, multivenue gigs and audiovisual installations. The festival also hosts SensoriaPro for those working or looking to work in the industry, and SynthFest UK for the synthesiser heads. It’s anyone’s guess what this ever innovative festival will do next. sensoria.org.uk

Corporation

The home of rock and alternative music in Sheffield since 1997. Corporation spans three floors on a corner of the Devonshire Quarter and, according to a vote in Kerrang! magazine, is one of the country’s top three rock clubs. Corp is well established on major bands’ touring circuits, attracting gig goers from far and wide, and also regularly puts on the latest up and coming acts from Sheffield’s underground scene. It plays host to varied club nights, filling four rooms with everything from pop to indie to hardcore to soul, and is also home to the infamous “blue pint”. 2 Milton Street, S1 4JU corporation.org.uk

Image courtesy of Code Nightclub Code Nightclub

Code Nightclub

This place knows how to party. The target audience at Code is very much students. It hosts the Wonderland 90p party on Tuesdays (yes, that’s 90p drinks, all night), as well as nights complete with inflatables and confetti cannons, plus Code Saturdays featuring a wide range of music and £2.50 drinks offers. All of this has helped it win the Exposed Awards vote for Sheffield’s best nightclub from 2016 to 2019. Code will reopen following lockdown with seated-only events in May and will return to normal if restrictions ease as planned in June. 28 Eyre Street, S1 4QY codesheffield.com

Tank

An underground party venue, specialising in house, techno and drum’n’bass. Tank won big at the Best Bar None awards in 2019 and 2020, bagging overall winner, people’s choice nightclub, best nightclub (joint winner), and best independent venue (joint winner). No surprise then that tickets for its reopening week from 21st June sold out in no time. 53–55 Arundel Gate, S1 2PN tanksheffield.co.uk

Bal Fashions

Bal Fashions is a cool and cosy hangout spot in the Castlegate area. Club nights feature underground dance music acts from around the world. Following lockdown, Bal Fashions will be serving up thali food from Shantis Lounge in its outdoor area too. 16 Exchange Street, S2 5TR /balfashions

Delicious Clam

The Delicious Clam collective have created space for Sheffield’s DIY bands since 2013. They operate as a small venue, a record label and a practice space from their Castlegate base. Catch the latest bands on the alternative scene at their gigs and during their Clamlines fringe event during Tramlines weekend. And look out for releases from their community of Sheffield-based bands including Sister Wives, Thee Mightees and Crawlies. 12 Exchange Street, S2 5TS /deliciousclamrecords

O2 Academy Sheffield

The brutalist building that now houses the Academy has a long legacy in Sheffield’s music scene – entertaining previous generations as the Top Rank Suite and Roxy Disco. Gigs here range from rock to reggae to rap, while club nights regularly keep folks dancing into the early hours. 37–43 Arundel Gate, S1 2PN academymusicgroup.com/ o2academysheffield

Record Junkee

This 150-capacity gig venue and record store is a paradise for music fans. The Record Junkee team select excellent bands and artists for their live programme, covering grunge, metal, synth pop and plenty more. 7 Earl Street, S1 3FP recordjunkee.co.uk

Bungalows and Bears

A fire station turned bar and music venue, Bungalows and Bears is in the heart of the Devonshire Quarter. Gigs here tend to include up and coming indie rock acts from across the UK and US. 50 Division Street, S1 4GF bungalowsandbears.com

Frog and Parrot

This student-friendly boozer has been a longtime Devonshire Quarter favourite. On Saturday nights, they host specialist DJs, spinning anything from Motown and northern soul to ska and reggae. The pub also regularly hosts free gigs by local talent. 94 Division Street, S1 4GF frogandparrot-sheffield.co.uk

The Washington

A lively music pub on the edge of the Devonshire Quarter, The Washington regularly puts on gigs from some of the finest bands on the Sheffield circuit. Take your pick from a cosy corner or the dancefloor – in the latter, the resident DJs will keep you on your feet until 3am, spinning anything from The Prodigy to Dolly Parton. 79 Fitzwilliam Street, S1 4JP thewashington.pub

The Green Room

The Green Room

Vibes at the Green Room are very mod, soul and rock ‘n’ roll, though its live music programme is nothing but eclectic. Catch the freshest talent at the lively bar’s open mic events, and look out for comedy nights too. 150–154 Devonshire Street, S3 7SG greenroombar.co.uk

Duality

Duality is a truly original destination to enjoy DJs and live music. Using the latest 360-degree projection technology, the bar immerses revellers in mindblowing sights and sounds, making for a night out like no other. It’ll transport you to New York one minute and Hong Kong the next. 106 Devonshire Street, S3 7SF dualitybars.com

Crystal

One of many examples of a former cutlery works finding a new lease of life in Sheffield, Crystal is a cool space, all exposed brickwork and parquet floors. The intimate nightclub is popular with students on weeknights, and on Saturdays it gets people moving to house, R&B and soul music. 23-32 Carver Street, S1 4FS crystalbar.uk.com

Trippets Lounge Bar

“Fizz, gin, and all that jazz”, goes the Trippets tagline. Tucked away just off West Street, this lounge bar and dining room hosts live jazz every Friday and Saturday, as well as occasional themed brunches and wine tasting events. 89 Trippet Lane, S1 4EL trippetsloungebar.co.uk

West Street Live

It’s a rare night at West Street Live when there isn’t a live band playing. Based on one of the city centre’s most bustling streets, the late bar is looking forward to returning to booking bands when it reopens in May 2021. 128 West Street, S1 4ES weststreetlive.co.uk

Dempsey’s

A long-estabilshed gay bar and nightclub, Dempsey’s is now at the heart and soul of the newly designated Gay Quarter. The popular spot has two dance floors, resident DJs, karaoke and games nights. 1 Hereford Street, S1 4PR /DempseysSheffield

Queer Junction

Part of the community of gay bars centred around the end of The Moor and Hereford

Street, this lively and colourful graffiti-decorated spot offers a place to party till the early hours. 139 The Moor, S1 4PH /queerjunction

Social Rehab

Based at the end of The Moor, this gay bar joined the city’s growing Gay Quarter in 2019. 135 The Moor, S1 4PH

The Viper Rooms

Priding itself on bringing a bit of glam to your nights out, the Viper Rooms has an extensive cocktail and champagne list, confetti cannons, and VIP booths. Expect anything from 90s R&B to pop anthems from its DJs. 35 Carver Street, S1 4FS sheffield.theviperrooms.com

Maggie May’s

Proudly calling itself the ‘home of the classic oldie’, Maggie May’s is the place to enjoy soul music in Sheffield city centre. Saturday is dedicated to northern soul, with guest DJs taking to the decks from 3pm onwards. At all other times, expect to get moving to some of the greatest musical icons from the 60s through to the 00s. 23 Trippet Lane, S1 4FG maggiemayssheffield.com

Soyo

Occupying what was once one of Sheffield’s historical Methodist churches, this stylish late bar has it all: comfy armchairs, a dance floor, a huge glitterball, and cracking drinks deals. Resident DJs provide the perfect soundtrack to wind down and put on your dancing shoes, with weekends tending to lean towards house, disco, soul and R&B. 117 Rockingham Street, S1 4EB soyo.me

Dtour Music Bar and Lounge

R&B and house music are the specialities at Dtour, and it delivers them in style.

Image courtesy of Molly Malone’s Soyo

You’ll also hear dancehall, soul, garage, bassline and Afrobeats at special events here. The elegant bar and club is one for a slightly more mature crowd, with an over-25s policy at weekends. For an extra level of exclusivity, book a private room and settle down for a night with the karaoke machine or PlayStation. 192 Shoreham Street, S1 4SQ /dtourlounge

Molly Malone’s

This Irish-themed, studentfriendly bar is big on music, sports and Guinness. Each Wednesday, Friday and Saturday it hosts bands that play traditional and contemporary music with an Irish twist. 140–144 West Street, S1 4ES molly-malones.co.uk